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War and Anti-War Films

"War and Anti-War Films" often acknowledge the horror and heartbreak of war, letting the actual combat fighting or conflict (against nations or humankind) provide the primary plot or background for the action of the film. Typical elements in the action-oriented war plots include POW camp experiences and escapes, submarine warfare, espionage, personal heroism, "war is hell" brutalities, air dogfights, tough trench/infantry experiences, or male-bonding buddy adventures during wartime. Themes explored in war films include combat, survivor and escape stories, tales of gallant sacrifice and struggle, studies of the futility and inhumanity of battle, the effects of war on society, and intelligent and profound explorations of the moral and human issues. Listed below are all the very best of this genre. Scroll yer heart out....

Ivan's Childhood (1962)

8.1/10
Director: Andrei Tarkovsky
Starring: E Zharikov, Kolya Burlaev, Valentin Zubkov

AKA 'My Name is Ivan'. Tarkovsky's debut feature was awarded 15 international prizes and is the haunting tale of a young boy caught up in the horrors... Read more

Jakob the Liar (1999)

6.5/10
Director: Peter Kassovitz
Starring: Robin Williams, Alan Arkin, Bob Balaban, Michael Jeter, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Lie...

In Nazi-occupied Poland during World War Ii, poor Jewish cafe owner Jakob Heym (Robin Williams) accidentally overhears a forbidden radio news bulletin... Read more

Jarhead (2005)

7/10
Director: Sam Mendes
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard, Lucas Black, Chris Cooper, Jamie Foxx, Jacob V...

When Anthony Swofford (Jake Gyllenhaal) followed family tradition into the Marines he wasn't counting on the 1991 Gulf War. Trained as a sniper with... Read more

Jean-Paul Belmondo: Vol. 1 ( Moderato Cantabile / A Man Called La Rocca / Weekend at Dunkirk ) (1960)

7.1/10
Director: Peter Brook, Jean Becker, Henri Verneuil
Starring: Catherine Spaak, Christine Kaufmann, Jeanne Moreau, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Pierre V...

The legendary suave and sexy action man of 60s French cinema, here is a collection of three of Jean-Paul Belmondo's greatest roles. "Moderato Cantabil... Read more

Jet Pilot (1957)

5.7/10
Director: Josef Von Sternberg
Starring: John Wayne, Janet Leigh

A high-flying Cold War drama with American Air Force colonel John Wayne charged with looking after defecting Soviet pilot Janet Leigh. The pair fall i... Read more

Johnny Got His Gun (1971)

7.9/10
Director: Dalton Trumbo
Starring: Donald Sutherland, Jason Robards, Marsha Hunt, Timothy Bottoms, Kathy Fields, Di...

Screenwriter/novelist Dalton Trumbo wrote his pacifist novel "Johnny Got His Gun" in 1939, and after being blacklisted in the 1950s (he was one of the... Read more

Jojo Rabbit (2019)

8/10
Director: Taika Waititi
Starring: Taika Waititi, Roman Griffin Davis, Thomasin McKenzie, Scarlett Johansson, Rebel...

A World War II satire that follows a lonely German boy named Jojo (Roman Griffin Davis) whose world view is turned upside down when he discovers his s... Read more

Jojo Rabbit (Blu-Ray) (2019)

8/10
Director: Taika Waititi
Starring: Taika Waititi, Roman Griffin Davis, Thomasin McKenzie, Scarlett Johansson, Rebel...

A World War II satire that follows a lonely German boy named Jojo (Roman Griffin Davis) whose world view is turned upside down when he discovers his s... Read more

Journey from the Fall (2006)

7.3/10
Director: Ham Tran
Starring: Kieu Chinh, Diem Lien, Long Nguyen, Nguyen Thai Nguyen, Khanh Doan

A poignant and realistic drama, set after the Americans left war-torn Saigon, depicting a side of the Vietnam War seldom seen - the affect on the Viet... Read more

Journey's End (2017)

6.6/10
Director: Saul Dibb
Starring: Asa Butterfield, Sam Claflin, Paul Bettany, Tom Sturridge, Toby Jones, Stephen G...

Led by young officer Stanhope, whose mental health is rapidly disintegrating, a group of British soldiers await their fate in an Aisne dugout during t... Read more